Goucher College 2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalogue 
    
    Nov 23, 2024  
Goucher College 2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalogue PLEASE NOTE: This is an archived catalog. Programs are subject to change each academic year.

Communication Major


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In order for students to declare the Communication and Media Studies major, they must have completed COM 105-Introduction to Media Studies, with a grade of C+ or better, as well as having completed the first-year writing proficiency requirement (e.g., WRT 181).

All students must complete a total of 42 credits within the major


Requirements are as follows:

Captone Project


Majors must complete a Capstone Project in either Media Studies (scholarly research) OR Media Production (creative skills). Majors choose ONE of the following options.

A Media Studies Capstone Project can be completed with either:

1.    COM 499 - Independent Study/Senior Thesis (4 Cr.)  OR

2.    COM 497 - Capstone Project (1 Cr.) in conjunction with a 4-credit 400-level seminar course (e.g., COM 401, COM 421, COM 425, COM 430, COM 435, COM 440) (5 Cr. total)

 

A Media Production Capstone Project can be completed with:

3.    COM 460 - Digital Filmmaking III (4 Cr.)

Writing Proficiency in the Major


To achieve writing proficiency in the Communication and Media Studies major, students must complete COM 232  (WEC requirement) with a grade of C+ or better AND COM 262  (WID requirement) with a grade of B- or better. To achieve this writing proficiency, students are expected to master the ability to

  • write grammatically appropriate, syntactically sophisticated sentences and construct cohesive, effective paragraphs consistently and spontaneously;
  • research and integrate information from multiple sources; and
  • provide substantial and appropriate support for theses and propositions and demonstrate the correlating ability to develop and write well-reasoned arguments of merit in the field of communication studies.
  • Students who fail to obtain writing proficiency in the major twice, will be dropped from the major.

Qualifications Required to Graduate with Honors


Honors are decided by a vote of the full-time and half-time faculty just prior to Commencement each year. The following guidelines are used to determine honors:

  • Students must achieve a grade point average of at least 3.67 in all 200-, 300-, and 400-level courses taken in the major to be considered for honors.
  • No student will be considered for honors who has taken any 200-, 300-, or 400-level course for the major beyond the 100-level pass/no pass, except for those courses that can only be taken on a pass/no pass basis (internship and applied video).
  • Students must demonstrate via their course work or a senior thesis either (1) a superior grasp of communication and media studies theory, criticism, and/or history, or (2) creativity and substance in an applied skill.
  • Students must complete a variety of rigorous courses in the major and should take courses from many of the full-time faculty.

 

Multiple Failed Courses


It is the department’s policy that students majoring in Communication and Media Studies must receive at least a C- in every course taken toward the completion of the major. Any student who receives a grade below C- in more than two courses will not be permitted to continue in the major.

 

 

 

 

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